Clues to Survival
by Moih
Summary: April finds her way into a world that she could never have imagined. What will happen to her when she's discovered by CLU? Please R&R! OCxCLU
1. Chapter 1

[Greetings! Thanks for choosing to read (and hopefully review!) my very first Tron fic; please leave any input you may have for me, suggestions, critique, etc! :) Please note that there is not any mature content in this chapter, but it is rated as such because there shall be in the upcoming chapters! Thank you!]

Chapter 1

It would seem logical to be under the assumption that there is only one way to access the Grid. To walk through the doors of Kevin Flynn's Arcade, past the rows of pinball and arcade machines, down the stairs hidden behind the Tron arcade machine, into Flynn's secret office, and entering into the system with a few keystrokes and with the assumption that you have a clear aperture can be the only conceivable way to enter the Grid.

False.

The Grid was created and discovered to be a digital frontier. Clusters of information moved through the computer, expanding outwards and beyond past the mainframe, wires, and circuits of Kevin Flynn. It truly was a new and fantastic world. For Kevin Flynn, at least. It is true that he is the creator of all programs that reside within the spacious zone on "the Grid", but the real question is how far does the Grid go? Where does it end? Is it an expansive vacuum like space, with no walls? The Grid has its limits, and programs and units malfunction when they are off-grid. But why? Is it because Kevin Flynn only claimed a small portion of the entire "computer space" that he supposedly "discovered", or had this copious amount of space already existed, and he merely expanded upon what was already there?

It's undeniable that Kevin Flynn contributed a great deal to the great empty void, and that without his obvious imprint upon the space and his talents of expanding the grid outward, it would have been left undiscovered. Or would it?

There are only a few certainties about the Grid: CLU, his dictatorship, Kevin Flynn's inability to escape, and the tendrils of information and navigational streams pushing against weakening firewalls beyond the Grid, beyond Kevin Flynn's knowledge. Beyond CLU's knowledge…

April was one of the youngest Graduate students studying Technology and Society. She had graduated early from High School, and after jumping through a few hoops of political nonsense, made her way into college with a full-time class load, and even taking summer-term classes. To those she knew and who came into contact with her would definitely agree upon the fact that she was a hard worker. She was also a solitary worker and kept to herself. She did not feel accepted by her peers, or her teachers, or her friends based on the voluntary differences she chose along her path to a career and life. She felt the most comfortable behind a computer, and when talking to those individuals she acquired online that were like her, and also sometimes considered "introverted", yet that term seemed exceptionally untrue when she communicated to her fellow internet socialites. Their attitudes and feelings were so readable to her, although mostly communicated via text, and it could be said that it was easier for her to perceive emotions through text vs. the physical shift of an individual's face.

She was clumsy, socially awkward at times, was uneasy when trying to comfort an individual, and did not display her emotions easily. She was incredibly "mousy", a term that she acquired prior to her year of high school graduation. The term derived from her brownish hair that always managed to have a tendril or two out of order, and her small physique that seemed even smaller due to her unconscious way of hunching her shoulders downwards over her belongings when making her way from one location to the another, and her blue eyes that were always moving and analyzing her surroundings. She was nimble on her feet, would consider herself a night owl, and always had her computer.

Although she hated change, she adapted well to it. Her whole entire life was a constant wheel of changes. She felt like she dealt with stress far better than those around her due to, in her opinion, her inner discipline. Her "inner discipline" could not prepare her for the accounts that would inevitably lead to her assumed death and disappearance.

The accounts that lead up to her "death" were hard to describe by the witnesses. April had been stuck inside due to a severe thunderstorm warning, and made her way to the research lab, when a fellow graduate student named Glen, and the closest "real life" friend she had, came up to her to inform her of his discovery. He insisted on her input on the matter, and her help in watching his station so he could locate a higher-up. He was making claims of blackholes, voids, and virtual space that was tangible. April's first impulse was to locate the means of his sudden insanity, even though it did seem unlikely for him to have been under any type of influence. He lead her to the research studio in a rush, making their way to a small desk located near a window that was slightly rattling from the thunderous waves outside.

"Look here…look at that! Isn't that amazing? Stay here while I go grab Professor Skillman. April, I'm counting on you to make sure no one comes and interferes with this code….I'll be right back!"

April's skills in coding and computer technology did not come anywhere close to that of Glen's, so she had to sit down and narrow her eyes a bit to read the encryptions and codings to gather enough information to figure what he was going on about. All she could make out were a series of incredibly unnatural lines of communication that seemed be coming from no where; her gut told her that the computer was simply infected with a virus or a practical joke.

The next few seconds are hard for her to recall, but she did remember a distinct crash, a boom, the sound of glass breaking, and a flashing of light, and the distinct feel of electrical charges coursing through her body as if a piece of lightning came way too close for comfort.

She wasn't aware of the existence of the "Grid", but she knew she wasn't back in the research studio. The darkness, the chronic lightning, and the horizon of nothingness were her first signs that she was either in a dream, dead, or somewhere else entirely.

Her clothing was slightly charred, and she could still feel the hairs on the back of her neck sticking up from the electricity that coursed through her body moments before. As she was smoothing her hair and massaging the muscles at the back of her neck, she did take notice of a shining beam to her right that was star-like; she then took notice of a very distinct outline of a city, and made a quick estimate that it was roughly 10 miles away. Making a quick glance around her, and in the other directions to see if there were similar signs of civilization, she made the decision to head off in the direction of the only signs of "life".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

April made the long trek through the city's outskirts for what she felt like was an eternity. Her clumsy footing on the dark geometric rocks caused her, on several occasions, to stumble and scrape a palm and a knee, but she ignored these small trifles because she was aware that she had far more unsettling matters to take care of. Like where she was, for instance. And how she got there, and what she was going to do to get home.

Humph. "Home", she thought. To be honest, April hadn't settled in a 'home' since her early teens. She was more or less a drifter of sorts, always moving and finding new opportunities that benefitted her. Her stay at college was the longest time she's even stayed in one location, granted she did move around after her first experience in the dorms with a roommate. Most individuals could be cited as enjoying their first year after having a roommate at college, but April's experience wasn't anywhere close to this. Her experiences with her roommate were rocky at best, and her roommate had a temper and an incredibly bitter attitude. If it hadn't been for Glen, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have made it; Glen always had a blow-up mattress to spare when she felt like she couldn't endure another roommate quarrel.

The journey to the "City of Neon", as April now referred to it as, felt like it took the entire day, but she couldn't quite estimate how long it took due to the fact that there was no setting sun, or a moon, to determine a rough time estimate. There weren't even any stars. She immediately became suspicious of her predicament, feeling like she is being subjected to a horrible prank, or an involuntary confinement, similar to the "Truman Show." That definitely would explain the lack of sun, and the distinct feel that this entire area was closed off from everything else, she thought.

The buildings were far taller, and sleeker, than the mental picture she had formed from afar, as she approached the first broad roadway. They seemed incredibly unnatural, and almost impossible; how could a building be that tall and slim without being structurally unsound? How and how could there be so many of them? And why did the streets and the buildings all possess the same fascinated fluorescent neon glow that was unnaturally bright? The road that she made her way onto seemed to abruptly end and stop at an invisible wall, as if it yearned to stretch out towards the wastes that she had just ventured from. They were cleaner than any streets she had ever encountered, and she felt like she was a miniature in a toy village. She detected no signs of movement until she made her way around one of the tall towers. From that view, she could detect _ships._ Vehicles flying in space above her, and the faint humming sound distinctly audible. She also noticed clouds that seemed incredibly low that mingled between the towers, and were filled with thunder and the flashes of lightning.

She didn't charge out into the streets in a fit of confusion, or excitement, but instead kept to the edges of the simulated concrete of the buildings and kept a low profile. She didn't make it long, however, until she could feel small vibrations in the air and a powerful gust of warm air smacking her in the face. A searchlight was turned on with a "pop", and started roaming the vicinity around her until it found her location. She was obviously the perfect example of a deer caught in the headlights, and was frozen in her spot. She brought an arm up to shade above her eyes in a vain attempt to get a better look to see where the searchlight was coming from.

She wasn't aware of her immediate surroundings and footing giving way to leave her with just a honeycomb-shaped plot to stand on. She didn't make any attempt to run, for she immediately assumed that whatever the thing was that was coming down upon her would inform her of her whereabouts and potentially send her back to where she properly belonged. The closest thing she could describe the thing coming down upon her was a ship of some sorts, but it vaguely looked like a giant clamp, or a bridge. It appeared to be composed of mostly black; with bright orange highlights accentuated it's bridge-like shape. It had three major spotlights, one under the middle upper extension, and two under each "leg" of the structure. This was also where the warm vented air seemed to be coming from, and as she got a closer look, she got the impression that the air was helping to stabilize it as it moved through the air and as it made it's descent.

The middle of the ship descended down towards the ground, directly in front of her, only giving her a more distinct impression of a drawbridge. As the platform came to rest down in front of her, she noticed two men in black form-fitting suits with the same orange neon lighting accentuated their forms. They wore black glossy helmets that masked their faces, and held a lance in either arm that was half glowing in the familiar orange glow. To April, they looked rather comical looking, being a mix of every science fiction action movie thug she had ever witnessed. She gave a half laugh, and stepped towards the guards in a relieved sigh.

"Great! I've been walking for hours…I'm lost, and I'm tired…could you please bring me to the nearest police station? I think I've been kidnapped, and I can't remember how I got here…"

She didn't finish her sentence, for the guards stepped down from the platform in unison and grabbed her by the upper arm, leading her back on to the ramp. There were sections on the platform that had two white blocks that were roughly the size of feet between the barriers of another similar set of neon white foot holdings in front of a black padded back and head rest. She didn't ask questions as she was lead into place, but she did become increasingly nervous as her feet were trapped into place and her ability to move was eliminated.

Her protests were interrupted by someone to her right, who was in the exact predicament that she was in, and with one of the most vacant expressions she had ever seen, informed her to keep quiet and to act as they did if they wished to not be deleted. April's eyebrows came together at the word "deleted", but April definitely possessed the intellect and insight to know when to listen and follow instructions if she wished to be free of any harm.

The two guards that lead her to her spot moved to opposite locations on the platform, and positioned their bodies into molds that were almost identical to their own bodies. They were entrapped into their "molds" with a small cover coming around and resting in place. Vibrations and the blow of warm air alerted her to the ship's take-off, and as she looked down she noticed that the floor was clear and she could see the streets, sidewalks, and buildings become smaller. Back home, she was a lover of rollercoasters and theme park rides, but this seemed a bit much. She became immediately nauseous, and looked around her, and then up only to notice a ceiling that was similarly clear. She could see a pilot of the ship up above in front of her through the ceiling, and wondered if he was the one in charge and could potentially answer some dire questions she had in her mind.

The ride on the ship took only minutes until they arrived at their destination, which seemed like a great vast empty space, aside from the geometric lines and shapes that ran along the black granite-like ground. There were a set of 4 guards, and what appeared to be a supervisor, waiting for their arrival, and the second the ship landed, the guards lined up and the supervisor stepped up onto the platform and began their evaluation.

He started at the individual on the far right of the row, and as April watched, she saw the supervisor stand inches in front of the individual, and within seconds, proclaimed "Rectify". The supervisor repeated this several times, until he came upon an individual that seemed slightly more energetic than those around him and was struggling within his confines. This individual received the sentence of "Games", which April assumed was not to be associated with fun and excitement. April learned from that example to be as still and restful as possible, and as the supervisor came in front of her, she could hear sounds similar to that of a computer at work behind the mask of the man in front of her. April thought this seemed largely odd and impossible, for those clicks and hums could only be the sounds of a monitor hard at work, and this man was clearly not a monitor. Within one second, he had made his evaluation.

"Rectify."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

April considered herself an especially average individual with a special talent for keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble. She was the first individual to answer after the awkward pause that proceeded a teacher's question to a group or class. She also loved extra-credit assignments, cleaning her car, and she hid a menagerie of stuffed animals from her childhood in the closet. Being born into the "technological era", she was also a lover of gadgets. She owned most of the current forms of console games on the market, loved to battle her friends in multi-player games, and kept a neat order of her collection of games stacked next to her television, which she also used as a monitor when she was working on computer projects and enjoyed using the larger screen to view and navigate through her work.

A few things that April did not consider herself were especially outgoing, particularly when in a large social setting. She prided herself at having the above average-level amount of common sense, but she was modest, so she didn't flaunt her mental prowess and did not actively display an air of superiority around others. She also made great pains to be a "good citizen", dating back to her early school days, having only been in detention once, which still haunts her dreams from time to time. She has never received a speeding ticket, has only been pulled over by the police once due to a malfunctioning headlight, and has never driven her car under the influence of alcohol and did not do drugs. She wasn't necessarily a "stiff", and got her fix of fun through alternate means of entertainment. Her favorite beverage was root beer but she drank it rarely, but when she did, the condensed sugar within the drink would course through her blood stream like a racecar and energize her like nothing else. She enjoyed action movies, music, and loved to floss her teeth.

April had many things she could do well, and had one or two things in which she could do exceptionally well. Despite this, all of her combined knowledge, mannerisms, and finesses did not prepare her for what was to become of her.

April watched as those that were assigned to "The Games", which she assumed was a punishment of some kind, were lead off of the platform and onto a honeycomb-shaped outline on the ground, with their feet similarly locked into place and without hesitation, were jetted downwards into the ground. She did take note of the ardent struggle that these individuals went through, and thanked her lucky stars that she was saved from being sent to a similar fate.

Once the platform was free of the obvious strugglers and "weaker-links", the confines around her feet were released, and she was guided off the ramp in single file. The group made their way about 20 feet, until the each were placed onto some similar honeycomb-shaped footing from before. April watched as the first individual to her left was jetted downwards into the ground below, and was relieved to see that there were no visual signs of fright on the person. She looked around her and noticed that all of the individuals had the same vacant expression that she could only interpret as absolute calmness. April shrugged, content with the fact that this could only mean that they knew that there was no danger to become of them.

April mimicked the calm façade of those around her, and soon began to wonder again how exactly she came to be here. Certainly she was being held against her will…this much she knew. Those around her spoke perfect English, so she was at least still on Earth (The thought, of course, did not escape her of the possibility of being abducted by aliens.) If she was still on earth, and in an English-speaking area, then she didn't have enough fingers or toes to start counting the amount of lawsuits that these individuals would and could endure if she turned out to be a not-so-good-sport about the whole affair. She kept casual to the possibility that this all was some sort of prank, a hoax, or a new bizarre television show she was volunteered to by her friends. She then thought back to _which_ friends would put her up to this, and knew she had only a handful whom would take the time to try to get her in. She narrowed her eyes and then thought back to her friend Glen. He was the last person she saw before her memory went dark, and was also the number one on her list of suspects that would ever consider anything like this for her.

With this thought, she gave a soft chuckle and relief filled her to the core. Now, if only she could locate the man in charge of this whole operation and get everything cleared up so she could get out of here.

The thoughts of possible release and escape lingered in her mind as the ground around her rose up above her head, and she made the plummet down into the ground. She couldn't deny how impressive the whole affair was, and appreciated the amount of time and energy it must have taken to pull this whole "experience" off. She also began to wonder whether those she saw on the ship were also in the same predicament as she was and whether they had the same kind of "wonderful" friends that she had.

The sound of what she perceived to be hydraulics became loud, and then eased into a soft hiss as the platform she was standing on touched bottom. Her bindings were not undone, but rather, two sections of wall on the opposite end of each other, with her in the middle, came forward and exposed a black-clad human female shape within. April gazed around in awe at the quality of the architecture, lighting, and overall structural aesthetics until she noticed the two individuals approach her in unison. They were clad in black cat suit-like garb, their curves and shape accented and accentuated with fluorescent strips of light that were a vibrant orange. Both had their hair tightly woven up into a bun, one being blonde, and the other brunette. They both wore a particularly large amount of make-up, but April found it fascinating and beautiful in it's own way. As they approached her and stood inches in front of her, they both raised a hand, and with a pop and then a hiss similar to that of an oxy welding torch being ignited, then began to outline the outer seams of her clothes.

April immediately began to protest at this. She had endured walking for hours in the middle of no where in what was possibly a horrible rendition of "Suvivor Man", or "Man vs. Wild", or even "Survivor" (although this wasn't exactly an island…), had tolerated being manhandled and the nausea on the ship, but this was last straw. She wasn't going to allow herself being potentially burned, as well as the fact that she would possibly be stark naked in front of a camera for someone's sick form of entertainment.

Her complaints were clearly being ignored by the two women, and as the last remnants of her garments were tossed into the ground where they were vacuumed and sucked down under to god-knows-where, she felt a strange sensation beginning at the base of her feet. She looked down to notice a very black substance encasing her and making its way up. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was entirely unnatural, in April's opinion, for any type of substance to appear out of nowhere and meld perfectly onto her skin. The edges of what now appeared to be a suit looked geometric, almost like building blocks forming on top of each other, as it came upwards and finally stopped to form around her neck. April became speechless at the new marvel, and momentarily forgot the two women who made their way back on opposite sides to gather together what appeared to be moldings of armor.

April shook out of her train of thought as the pieces of hard armor were attached to her limbs and body. She soon began to form an immediate explanation for her being here, and assumed this must be some form of "Ultimate Gladiator". There could be no explanation; this was it.

Although, it was still confusing to April that she would even be allowed on such a show; she wasn't very coordinated, did not exercise regularly, and didn't even watch the show.

The final pieces of armor were fitted onto her properly, and off to the side a small compartment opened to reveal a disc-like object that had a similar glow to the objects around her. One of the women approached it to retrieve it, and as she did, a female voice, obviously a recorded one, filled the room:

"Attention, program. You will receive a replacement disc. This new disc will have your new directive embedded. Your current disc will be discarded. If you fail to follow orders, or lose this disc, you will face de-resolution."

April was extremely confused at this statement, both at the mention of being called a "Program", having her disc "replaced" (I have a disc? She thought), and the threat of being terminated through "de-resolution."

April watched as the female grasped the disc with both hands and approached her with definite steps until she was behind her. She handed the disc off to her counterpart, who then raised the disc up to her back and placed it into what must have been a holder of some sorts for the disc.

As the disc clicked into place and became active, a course of electricity went through April, and she saw her life literally flash before her eyes, and then vanish, as if her entire life was literally erased from her memory.


	4. Chapter 4

[ I'd like to thank those who have read and reviewed my story thus far; I really appreciate it : ) I value constructive criticism, and input! Don't forget to R&R! Enjoy!]

Chapter 4

April wasn't a program. She wasn't composed of digital substances, and she didn't have a hard-drive in which all of her memories, functions, and simulated personalities were stored. She had nerves, a heart, and a brain. So when a "replacement disc" (odd, she thought, considering she didn't have a disc to begin with) was inserted into her back and the disc immediately began to make an attempt to file through her internal memories, delete them, and replace them with a new initiative, it both failed, and succeeded, in several key factors.

Firstly, it did succeed in locating her memories, although the manner in which it did this took a few moments longer than normal. The amount of circuits and nerves in her brain were a thousand times larger than could be found on any computer device. The disc's initial function was to not eliminate the motor skills, basic memories, or personality, but rather the part of the brain that stored the ability to intake commands and follows them unquestionably. The most similar human form of operation that was being attempted was a frontal lobotomy. An attempt to sate her temperament, and an attempt to insert directions directly to her "brain" was made, but partially failed.

As stated, April was not a program, so the attempts made to alter her by deleting her internal memory only partially worked. She didn't experience any form of being sated in temperament, but her memory did receive an incredible scramble. Superficial things like her name, her profession, where she was from, and what the name of her first pet were impossible to recollect. She wasn't a machine, so the idea of planting new thoughts and initiatives weren't within the realm of possibilities. So instead of immediately standing erect and still and waiting further orders to join a group of individuals who were also recently "rectified", she stood dumbfounded and completely slack, her head slowly turning every which way.

Her short-term memory also served a serious blow, so her confusion tripled as she made a serious attempt at figuring out exactly where she was and how she got here. Her first inspection was directed at her dark garb, which started at her gloved hands and the illuminating orange light that was traced all over her arms and legs. She followed the lights on her garment down to her booted feet, and then took notice of the black glass-like flooring. She then let her cone of vision take in her immediate surroundings, and took notice of the women on either side of her.

The sirens were critically observing her, and had they been human, their mouths would certainly be gaping open. They had never experienced a disc that did not synchronize properly, which they determined was the cause of the "program's" malfunction.

To April, they didn't show any signs of alarm, shock, or interest, which would certainly have been the characteristics displayed by a human if put into their situation. Instead, they turned their heads in unison to each other, and then back to April. A female's voice filled the room:

"Synchronization; incomplete. Acquiring a new initiative disc. Please wait."

At this point, April's head was throbbing and her fingertips were tingling. The females retrieved a new disc while she was still observing her surroundings. They detached her disc, and then replaced it with a new one.

After going through the same process of receiving a thorough head scan and a temporarily induced coma, she was left completely numb and her spine underwent a sharp electrical shock as the attempt to "zap" parts of her memory and properly deleting them were made, forcing her to stand erect and arch her back. Her vision was filled with large black circles that were outlined with varying rainbow colors. Her head was pounding, and her entire body was tingling.

The sirens observed her, and April's behavior wasn't much different than a normal program undergoing a similar process, so they began their retreat into their positions to the molds in the wall.

"Synchronization: complete. Proceed forward."

April's re-awakening into the world could be compared to an individual waking up after being sedated from a surgery; you follow commands without even realizing it as you slowly build your own awareness and ability to follow your own instincts. The bindings around April's feet were released as the women were properly locked into place in their wall units. April stepped forward, although rather sluggishly with her feet occasionally shuffling against the floor.

She shuffled about 50 feet until she came to a clear glass barrier, and noticed that beyond that barrier was a hallway that ran adjacent to the glass barrier. Across her own barrier, she observed another transparent barrier with an individual sporting similar clothing as she. The individual behind that barrier didn't seem to pay April any mind, although their eyes were set and it appeared that they were looking straight at April. April had a sense that they were looking beyond and through her.

April stood for approximately five minutes until the familiar female voice filled her vicinity.

"Attention programs. Proceed forward to receive your designation."

April was extremely confused at this point; for the most part, she had gone along with the idea that she woke up in a strange facility in strange clothes and with her surroundings "unnatural", though how she was basing these opinions was also making her especially confused for she still wasn't able to retrieve basic information about herself. Her ability to recall what her surroundings _should_ look like was a bit ambiguous. Her awareness was increasing as the minutes passed and as the shock of having her brain digitally scrambled was ebbing, the idea of accepting her current situation seemed comical and ridiculous; shouldn't she do something? Shouldn't she try and talk to someone? How did she get here?

The glass barrier in front of her slid back with a soft hiss and an electrical beep. She observed her comrade across from her as he stepped forward and began making his journey down the hall along with about 20 other individuals in the exact same garments as she. She stepped fourth as well, and took several hurried steps until she was shuffling along side him. She turned her head and observed the person to her left, and noticed how extremely calm and mellow he appeared to be. For reasons she couldn't explain, this allowed her to relax her nerves a bit, but questions still floated inside of her head that she felt needed to be answered.

"Hey…can you tell me where we are? Are we in some sort of hospital? I think I've been in an accident…should I really be walking around like this? I feel like my brain is going to explode…"

April noticed that the man to her left was making no attempt to answer her questions. He appeared to not even notice her. April pursed her lips slightly, wondering if he was being blatantly rude or was just deaf. The likeliness of him being deaf was greater; she was in a hospital, after all. Wasn't she? She fought back her temper, rationalizing that he was probably just handicapped and couldn't properly respond to her, or hear her. Or see her, for all she knew; he could be blind, based on the way his eyes seemed to be genuinely unfocused.

Although April didn't know it presently, she wasn't rude. She didn't make a scene, and she wasn't the type to shout in social settings and draw attention to her. So instead of rushing forward and shaking everyone's arm to get a proper answer out of them, she felt she should wait until they made their way down the corridor and to their destination.

The group finally came to a large open room that had an open floor plan and a large curved ceiling. The entire room seemed to be made out of black glass, with white light running along the seams of the walls, floor, and ceiling. Two men with visor helmets and batons stood to greet them, and to April, they looked vaguely familiar. One of the guards wasn't holding a digital scanner in one hand, which they used to scan the disc on each person's back. The other guard's purpose was to properly direct the person to where they needed to go.

April waited patiently in line, figuring she was going to get the information she desired out of these two guards. As the person in front of her was scanned and properly dismissed, she stepped forward. The guard grabbed her by the arm and scanned her back.

"MB-421. Grid compound."

April's eyebrows furrowed as she heard the guard speak seemingly incoherent nonsense. His voice seemed unnatural, with a tinge of vocal disturbance as if his voice was pre-recorded onto a cheap recorder. She turned to the guard who spoke.

"MB-42-what? Grid compound? What does that mean? Are we underground? Is there a radiation leak? What happened?"

The guard disregarded her questions, and his comrade grabbed her by the arm and directed her off to the right.

"MB-421, proceed forward immediately."

"MB-421? Is that my name? It doesn't sound right…"

The guard gave her a shove, forcing her to quicken her step less she fall forward flat on her face. She looked behind her, and did take notice of the fact that almost everyone else seemed to receive orders to go to the opposite side of the room. Her observation skills did take note that almost everyone else appeared to be male, and as the last person in line came forward, she was relieved to finally see another female who at last was sent in her direction.


End file.
